Newsletter Spring 2023
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Putting Donations of Time and Money to Work. By Jim DeHaan
Over the last two years, Long Scraggy Mountain Ranch has undergone several changes to better welcome and host our guests. Following the fire in the Roundhouse in the fall of 2019 and the near closure of the ranch in 2020 due to Covid-19, the ranch has re-open over the last two years with several new features and updates.
For starters, the Roundhouse has been repaired. Re-finished floors, a new ceiling, and a beautiful new front deck greets our guests. The kitchen cabinets have been repainted and the old furnace cleaned and repaired. The industrial size dishwasher has been fixed for easy use for our larger groups. This last year, the outdoor Roundhouse bathrooms received new electric heaters and plumbing repairs. Just this fall, a donated “normal size” fridge and dishwasher were installed in the Roundhouse kitchen for use by individual families and small groups.
The Pines cabins have been updated. Four queen beds have been added to the guest rooms. This has made the stay, and night sleep, of our guests much more enjoyable. These rooms now sleep up to 6 people. A double bed was added to the Aspen cabin, which now sleeps 4
people and a double bed added to the Clems cabin, which sleeps 9. The
Christmas Candlelight Service 2022 and Sun Valley Youth Enjoy the Playground
bunk houses have also been updated with better lighting and the Ponderosa screened hallway has a fresh coat of paint. A leaking roof above the bathhouse closet also was replaced with a new steel roof.
The chapel has been refreshed with new stain on the wood walls and on the benches. The front window was cleaned, the front door repaired and brighter lights have been installed. In addition, the Pavilion lighting was improved with the addition of new string lights and patio heaters are now available for those who wish to gather on cool evenings.
Guests will find that the pool is a great place to hang out. Broken and missing polycarbonate ceiling panels have been replaced and new supports added to better hold these aging panels. A new robotic pool cleaner is keeping the pool crystal clear all summer long. The sprinkler system was also repaired keeping the grass around the pool green.
Past fundraisers have helped make these and many more repairs and improvements possible. Thanks for your past support. Please continue to keep Long Scraggy in your prayers. Volunteer if you are able. Your financial support is always appreciated to keep the Ranch serving our Lord into the future.
Calvin Camp 2023
Calvin Camp Registration is open for 2023. Calvin Camp is held at Long Scraggy Ranch July 10 – 15 (students entering 4th, 5th and 6th grades in fall of 2023) and July 17 – 22 (students entering 7th, 8th and 9th grades in fall of 2023). Early bird registration runs through April 30th and is $450, rates go up May 1 to $500. Info at: calvincampco.com.
Board News and Fundraiser Appeal to Update Water System By Long Scraggy Board
After 20 years of serving on the board, Jon Waanders has retired. We thank God for his years of service to the ranch. The board is grateful to Jon for his faithful service.
Financially, the ranch is in a healthy position going into the 2023 guest season. The ranch currently does not have any debt and has sufficient funds to meet our projected costs to open this spring. Long Scraggy has been blessed the past year with revenues from guest fees which have covered operational expenses. The board is also grateful for additional donations from supporting churches and individuals. These donations have helped fund needed improvements.
We have a pressing need that has to be addressed soon, which is the replacement of the water tank. When the Rocky Mountain Christian Conference Grounds Association (RMCCGA) purchased the ranch in 1971, it installed a 22,000 gallon steel water tank and related water lines. The water system is now over 50 years old and is past its useful life. The board has estimated that the replacement of the water tank will cost $35,000. Most of the work can be completed by volunteers, which helps reduce the cost significantly. We began the fundraiser last fall and need to raise an additional $20,000 to meet this goal. We ask that you prayerfully consider making a donation to Long Scraggy Mountain Ranch to allow us to continue with the design work this summer and installation of a new water tank this fall.
60 Years of History By Hal Simpson
The amazing history of Long Scraggy Mountain Ranch does not start with the ranch, but really goes back to April of 1963 when the Rocky Mountain Calvinist Cadet Council (Cadet Council) purchased a 97 acre property near Tiny Town west of Denver for $27,000. The Cadet Council could not pay all of the purchase price so the sellers carried a trust deed for $9,000 at 0% interest. The Cadet Council planned on using the property for the local cadet clubs for camping and related activities.
The RMCCGA was established in 1965 for the purpose of “providing grounds, buildings, and every kind of means and facilities for Christian conferences, seminars, classes and meetings, and for Christian fellowship, and for the promotion of Christian character and service through spiritual, mental, social and physical training” (as stated in the Articles of Incorporation, dated January 5, 1965). The Articles of Incorporation of RMCCGA state that the permanent members of the Association are the Rocky Mountain Calvinist Cadet Council, the Rocky Mountain League Board of the Young Calvinist, the Rocky Mountain Calvinette Council, the Calvin Camp Board and the Inter-liaison Committee of the Consistories of the Christian Reformed Church in the Denver metropolitan area.
After the RMCCGA was established, it became apparent that the Cadet Council did not need the 97 acre property just for themselves and on January 10, 1966 approved the sale of the property to RMCCGA for $10 and the assumption of the trust deed. The sale was approved by five Christian Reformed Churches (CRC) in the Denver metro area: 1st CRC, 2ND CRC, 3rd CRC, Hillcrest CRC and Ridgeview Hills CRC. RMCCGA owned and operated the Tiny Town property until 1971, when the Long Scraggy Mountain Ranch property was purchased. These years of history will be covered in the next newsletter.
The current Board of RMCCGA extends its heartfelt thank you to all of the supporters of Long Scraggy Mountain Ranch over the past 50+ years. The donations of time, funds, materials and miles driven from their homes to Long Scraggy and back, are incalculable. Long Scraggy has been so blessed by all of this support and looks forward to many more years of successful operation.
